If you’ve been wondering what Tilda Swinton thinks about anything being cast opposite Benedict Cumberbatch as a genderswapped Ancient One in Marvel’s upcoming Doctor Strange, her gloriousness finds it “really, really exciting; The idea of playing The Ancient One is really just too tickling. I can’t say no to that!”

The SWINTON says she hasn’t figured out exactly how she’ll finesse her performance, or how her portrayal will compare to previous ideas of Stephen Strange’s mentor, but she’s looking at it as an exciting adventure. When asked about the possibility of being locked into multiple movies, the actress said she has no worries:

“It’s like a family thing. Who knows where one might pop up. I don’t know where they’ll use me and I don’t know that they know, necessarily, even though they seem to know what they’re doing for the next decade. I think it’s like holding on to the tail of a galloping horse at this point.”

And, when Tilda was informed that another big star wasn’t so thrilled by his Marvel experience — specifically, Idris Elba, who has called filming the Thor/Avengers movies “torture” — the SWINTON’S response was golden:

“Really? Oh… I’m up for it completely. I feel sorry for Idris. I’m not prepared at all to be bored by this. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Now, you mightn’t necessarily put together the words “summer reading” and “Tilda Swinton,” but when you hear of a New York City “bookstore-salon-art-installation hybrid,” things suddenly begin to make sense. Near my old blading grounds, the South Street Seaport’s collection of art and stores includes such a (temporary) project, and THE SWINTON has contributed a list of twelve of her favorite books, including:

Light Years — James Salter Tilda says: “An urbane American marriage seen from above — a kind of exquisite horror story of the deathly chic of people having all their bases covered and somehow missing the point all the same. Very, very beautiful. Very, very sad.”

Love In A Cold Climate — Nancy Mitford Tilda says: “Lady Montdore is one of the greatest creations in English literature; Uncle Matthew, another; Cedric, yet another. It’s the dottiness and passions of the English aristocracy pretty much nailed in one.”

Owning Your Own Shadow — Robert A. Johnson Tilda says: “A tiny, precious book on the balancing wisdom of the psyche. Hooray for that dark stuff!”

A Time Of Gifts — Patrick Leigh Fermor Tilda says: “For anybody who has ever fantasized about walking across Europe with a backpack. Written by a great writer and a proper hero amongst men.”

The Many Days: Selected Poems Of Norman MacCaig — Norman MacCaigTilda says: “Scotland’s preeminent poet of both the mountain and the capital’s pavement. Doubleness is a Scottish art: Passion and Calvinism; the west and the east; the highlands and the lowlands. MacCaig embraces this split with true affection and verve. (See also: Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.)”

Modern Nature — Derek JarmanTilda says: “Joy and life, and more life and more joy, and making a garden out of stones, and making films, and love.”

Great Expectations — Charles Dickens Tilda says: “Faces you will never forget, and a lesson to treasure all your life: Be prepared to be surprised, [and] cherish life as it finds you. And love Joe Gargery with all your heart.”